Dental floss holders are well known in the art. Such a prior art holder typically comprises a body having a linear portion for grasping the holder and a generally U-shaped or V-shaped end portion defined by a pair of fingers or tines which hold a string of dental floss material therebetween. The dental floss is securely fixed to the tines at opposite ends thereof by any well known manner. This construction of the dental floss holder enables the user to hold the linear portion while manipulating the dental floss between the user's teeth.
While the dental floss holder described above is suitable for its intended use, it does suffer from several disadvantages. For instance, prior to using the dental floss holder, the dental floss is fixed so that it can be manipulated between teeth. However, after forcing the dental floss many times between adjacent teeth, the dental floss stretches and becomes slack, thereby losing some of its initial tension. This makes it more difficult to manipulate the dental floss between teeth.
Additionally, during flossing of teeth, it is preferred to maintain the dental floss taut when initially inserting the floss between teeth, and, upon entering the space between the teeth, lessening the tension so that the dental floss wraps around the tooth being flossed. With the prior art dental floss holder described above, this preferred method of flossing one's teeth is impossible since the dental floss maintains only one tension, albeit this tension lessens as the dental floss holder is manipulated between one's teeth.
Another limitation of previous dental floss holders is that the floss is relatively easily pulled out of the holder, rendering the holder useless. A floss that can be held more securely by the holder, or by a user's hands, is desirable.
The foregoing illustrates some limitations known to exist in present dental floss holders. Thus, it is apparent that it would be advantageous to provide an improved dental floss holder and dental floss directed to overcoming one or more of the limitations set forth above. Accordingly, suitable alternatives are provided including features more fully disclosed hereinafter.